Avatar: The Last Airbender, Book 4: The Avatar
by Dragonherald
Summary: This is a continuation of the show Avatar the Last Airbender.  It takes place directly after the event of the canon series- literally directly.  It follows the romantic situations of all of the characters with the focus of Aang and Katara.
1. Chapter 1

** [This is an updated version; there is an added scene at the end] Hey guys! This is my first Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfiction. Actually, it's my first EVER fanfiction. In truth it's actually the first piece of writing that I've ever shared publically! So, are a round of applause in order? No? Not really, huh? I guess not yet… So, this is going to start from directly after the series ended, in the middle of Katara and Aang's kiss. For my more die heart readers, I would like to point out that I'm a Kataang shipper, sorry to all of you Zutara fans out there (Wow that was the first time I've ever used those two words in a sentence!) For all of the other relationships, I will make and break them as I please; but comment if you have any preferences, and I promise that I'll see what I can do without straying from the story line that I haven't really planned!**

** Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar, but I swear that I might… possibly own it one day!**

**Avatar: The Last Airbender, Book 4: The Avatar**

She smelled of Jasmine and her lips tasted sweet with honey. Katara wrapped her arms around his neck, warming his cold and quivering body, trying to remove his nerves. Aang nervously wrapped his arms around her waist, half expecting her to resist or twitch, but she only puller him closer. Gaining confidence, Aang began to kiss her more fiercely, noticing this; Katara followed his lead, somewhat surprised by his confidence. Neither of the two made any move to separate, neither of them even breathed- not wanting to ruin the moment.

Sokka scanned the tea shop, noticing the absence of both his sister and Aang. Suddenly very serious, he made his way to the balcony, but no amount of maturity could prepare him for what he saw on the balcony of the Jasmine Dragon tea shop. Sokka's legs started giving out under him and his jaw fell open, his eyes signaling that he was about to faint. Yet the sounds of Sokka's footsteps were drowned out by the soft moaning of the young couple, their lips passionately locked and their arms wrapped around each other. It was as though they were a statue, their bodies unmoving, only their heads rocked back and forth slightly.

Sokka too stood there motionless, his mouth agape and his posture awkward. Toph, of course had felt the vibrations of Aang and Katara's passion and grinned slyly.

Suki rose from her seat to look for Sokka on the balcony. She noticed Aang and Katara kissing, and then saw her boyfriend utterly stunned and immobile. She silently tried to coax Sokka into leaving, not wanting to disturb them.

Zuko resumed serving tea to his friends, a most humbling gesture from the Fire Lord. Noticing three of his companions missing, he moved to the balcony, carrying a tray holding three cups of tea, intending to serve a cup to each of them. When Zuko stepped onto the balcony, he assumed a similar pose to Sokka. Suki winced in anticipation of Zuko dropping the tray, though he did not.

Iroh, noticed the commotion on the balcony. He calmly stepped onto the balcony with the others, but rather than being shocked, he simply grinned, for Aang had taken the advice that he had given him while they wandered through the Crystal Catacombs of Ba Sing Se together. However, not wanting to further embarrass the couple, he turned to leave the balcony. Something then caused Iroh to stumble; he instinctively gripped his nephew's shoulder for support, but this caused Zuko to drop the tray of tea. Suki gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. The tray fell with a resounding crash and Aang and Katara instantly split apart, finally noticing their audience.

The two of them tried to hide the fact that they were blushing and act completely innocent as if nothing had happened, scratching the backs of their heads nervously. Sokka was the first to speak,

"Katara! What are you doing!" He waved his arms around desperately.

"Sokka, you're over reacting, let's go help Iroh with the tea," Suki offered, trying to spare the new couple further embarrassment.

"No, Suki! I need to say this!" Sokka imposed, his face flushed. "Aang, you… you… You betrayed my sacred trust!"

Aang and Katara stammered each trying to say something in response. Aang only barely managed to mouth the word "help" to Zuko. Zuko, who had regained himself, firmly gripped Sokka's shoulder.

"Maybe we should get you inside; this will take a while to sink in. Give them a break, they're not children," said the Fire Lord.

"Oh, no. They are NOT getting out of this, you hear me, Katara? Aang? I'm not finished here!"

Iroh then offered a piece of his wisdom to Sokka, "If two tea leaves are picked in a garden, and the two of them happen to make an excellent brew in a way that compliments their individual tastes, then I see no reason why those two tea leaves should not be made into one tea."

"This isn't about them not being good together! They simply aren't old enough!" Sokka raised his voice.

"A tea leaf makes the best tea when freshly picked," the old man stated calmly. Sokka realized that he had lost in group votes.

"I don't care about your stupid metaphors, but; fine… You two can… be… together… in that way… But I have my eye on you!" He warned, mostly looking at Aang.

"We don't need your permission!" Katara spat at him, her chin held high. Aang put a hand on her shoulder, the simple gesture telling not to get upset.

"Aang, you and I need to have a little talk… but later… I need a moment for this all to sink in." Sokka walked away from the balcony dizzily, his senses skewed.

"Well, I guess… Congratulations guys," Zuko managed awkwardly. He too left the balcony followed by his uncle.

Katara was first to gather herself. She wrapped her arms around his neck, blushing slightly and then said in her best seductive voice, "So, where were we?" She bent in and kissed Aang, and they resumed their previous "activities."

"Attack!" the earth bender ordered. "The Fire Lord is in that tea shop!"

Three massive boulders struck the walls of the Jasmine Dragon, causing the building to crumble. Aang and Katara immediately broke apart and ran outside; making sure that everybody had escaped the wreckage. Zuko, and Iroh, both of whom were engraged, charged at their opponents, but wishing to keep the peace, Aang felt the need to intervene.

Aang's eyes and tattoos glowed briefly and he assumed his earth bending stance. Punching his hands in the air, he erected a stone wall between the two groups. Satisfied, he jumped on top of the wall, facing the earth benders. He cried,

"Who are you?"

There was no response, the earth benders had vanished underground. Aang looked to Toph, who placed her fingertips on the ground.

"You're not going to like this, guys," She started, making sure that everybody was listening. "There are a couple thousand people hiding out in the crystal catacombs, and their numbers are growing."

"Like a resistance?" Katara interjected.

"It seems that there are people who don't want me here," said Zuko solemnly.

"That is how it looks," Iroh stated, staring at the rubble that was his tea shop.

"Then I'd best be going. Aang, we have business in the Fire Nation right now. But no one can hear about this attack."

"Then I'm coming with you," Katara offered, or rather commanded.

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, would you guys mind dropping me off at home? I want to straighten things out with my parents," pleaded Toph.

"Sure!" Aangs face lit up in a way that caused Katara to blush slightly.

"Then we're coming to! I need to keep an eye on you two," announced Sokka, holding Suki's hand, his gaze set on Aang.

"Alright then, it's settled, we should leave at sunrise!" Aang finalized, making a point to re-sink the wall that he had made.

At sunset, the group climbed on Appa, ready for the two day flight to the Bei Fong family estate. Having woken up very early, the team was tired and found places on Appa to finish sleeping. Zuko and may cuddled together and slept, and Sokka and Suki did the same. Aang and Katara, however were still trying to get over the awkwardness of their new relationship, so while the rest of the gang slept, they decided to try and talk out the mutual awkwardness.

"Do you know when it first hit me?" Katara initiated the conversation cautiously, her voice cracking slightly.

"What?" responded Aang, rather puzzled by her question, his voice shaking.

"When I realized… You know…"

"When you realized what?" Aang was legitimately confused now, especially by the fact that Katara's face was a scarlet red. Blood rushed to Katara's face, turning her even more red out of frustration that she would have to spell out what she meant.

"You know… When I realized that I was falling for you…"

"Oh…" Aang scratched the back of his head, mentally slapping himself for making her uncomfortable by not figuring out what she was implying. "When?"

"Well, it started when you got killed by Azula."

"Yeah, I guess I was dead…"

"Well, when you got killed, I was so completely lost. When you fell to the ground, my… my heart fell with you. When I finally got you back, I was so relieved."

Aang blushed at this, even though any friend would feel horrible if he died.

"But, after that, we had to get to business and I had to push my feelings to the side."

"Oh… That's why you were sorta ignoring me huh…"

"Yeah, it was. But when I finally realized that I… liked you in a special way… Was at the dance party."

"Yeah, that was fun," Aang sighed, remembering.

"But it wasn't during our dance… It was before that."

"Oh?"

"While you were showing everybody how to dance, you brought On Ji to the center with you. I could tell that she liked you, you know. Sokka… He mentioned that the two of you looked good together and…"

"And…?"

"I got jealous," Katara whimpered peevishly.

"You…. Jealous… because I…. Oh man I'm such an idiot!"

"It's okay Aang, everything turned out well, didn't it?"

"I guess it did…" Aang, winced when the question came.

"So, I told you. When did _you_ start falling for me?"

"Well… I… Umm…"

"It's only fair, Aang," she stated, crossing her arms. "I'm waiting."

"Well…. I guess it was sort of… Love at first sight?"

Katara, who had just regained her normal skin color, reverted back to her shade of scarlet red.

"All that time and I never knew…"

"Yeah…"

"Well, that's very sweet, and also… Behind us." She leaned forward and gave Aang an innocent peck on his lips. Matching the other two couples, they cuddled together and drifted to sleep. Toph only groaned at the public displays of affection.

**Well, that was Chapter 1, for now. I'm going to be posting a new chapter every Saturday, you know, to alleviate some of that residual weekday stress. For those of you who don't have fanfiction accounts and are reading this, then, you rock! But you should make accounts and subscribe to my writing YAY! Anyways, to you pervs who are just reading these because you want to see Aang and Katara have sex, then you're in the wrong place… most likely. Feel free to review and make comments, suggestions. FLAMEO! Stay flamin' hotmans.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry for the lateness guys… Umm… Sophomore year is stressful, okay! Just uhh, forget about that thing I said before about "every Saturday…," due to the fact that I frankly have no time to write these days: thanks a lot, life-ruining-ditch-that-we-call-school. Anyways, ENJOY!**

Getting to the Bei Fong family estate proved easy enough, but the true challenge would be trying to convince Toph's parents that her leaving was for the better of the world. The village was quiet, though many of the villagers had gathered around the estate to watching the unraveling events. Ten earth benders were waiting for them at the gates to the estate, an armed for numbering twenty stood in back of the benders. Jumping down from Appa, Toph declared,

"I am Toph Bei Fong, these are my friends, let us pass!"

"I am afraid, Lady Toph that we are under strict orders not to allow the Avatar into the estate," the guard stated robotically. Toph turned back to Appa, moving to remount and leave, before Katara stopped her.

"He said that the _Avatar_ wasn't allowed to go with you. Maybe I can go with you, straighten things out with your parents and then everybody can come in and enjoy for R and R before we leave again for the Fire Nation," she offered Toph. Toph took her hand and they walked towards the gates once more. Recognizing the younger girl as Toph Bei Fong, and the older girl as "not the Avatar," they opened up their ranks and allowed them through. Aang couldn't help but feel sick to his stomach to be separated from Katara.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Poppy and Lao Bei Fong, sat on their massive chairs as thrones, commanding servants vigorously; that is, until they saw their twelve year old daughter enter through the gates along with one of the Avatar's companions.

"Toph," Poppy whispered, as though the name were holy. Her face stricken with awe and relief, she allowed herself to shed a tear of joy. Lao sat on his throne like an icy statue, awaiting Toph's explanation.

"Mom, Dad…," Toph began, sadness filling her eyes.

"You do not reserve the right to call me that until and unless I have decided that your excuse was valid!" her father shouted at her, causing the pain in her eyes to vanish.

"I'm _not_ sorry!" Toph continued her voice strong and firm. "I'm not sorry that I joined the Avatar and helped him save the world. I am not sorry that I wanted to see the world, to taste freedom; and I am not sorry that I made a name for myself rather than being trapped within your walls!"

"Then that is where we differ…," Lao said icily.

Poppy whispered to him, "You don't need to do this."

"Yes, I do!" the man shouted, his face flustered. He waved at the guards, "take them away." Toph, sensing that they were about to be arrested launched a pillar of rock from under the lead guard's feet, knocking him into the air. Katara, however, hadn't expected any violence, she was caught by surprise and was easily subdued, her hands cuffed behind her back with stone braces. With a flick of her wrist, Toph destroyed Katara's binds, and summoning a sphere of water from a nearby pot, Katara froze two of the nine guards. Calling upon the remaining water in the jug, Katara fashioned the stream into a water whip, which she expertly used to continue combating the guards, bending its shape to better slice through rock when needed.

Toph, a master Earth bender had managed to encase three of the guards in rock and knock out another.

Aang and Zuko both heard the commotion from inside. With a nod between the two of them, Aang jumped down from Appa, sweeping his staff low to the ground, knocking all of the guards off their feet. Zuko followed up by sending a horizontal arc of fire that knocked them all against the wall. They were all immediately frozen against the rock by Aang, who had utilized the water from the sewers beneath them. Aang finished by adding a layer of rock to their encasing, just for good measure.

Blasting the doors open with a gust of air, Aang demanded,

"What is going on here!"

The nine guards had regained their footing against Toph and Katara. Zuko, noticing that they needed help, jumped into the fray to join them against the guards. While the guards were occupied, Aang turned to Lao Bei Fong, who sat on his throne-chair, his face expressionless.

"Call them off," Aang ordered.

Lao answered with a simple, "No."

Recalling a Fire bending lesson with Iroh, Aang dropped his hands to his side, with two fingers straight, and the rest curled as a fist.

"_Do not forget to breath," Iroh had told him. "Move your arms in circular arcs and draw out your chi. Separate them onto each of your extended fingertips. Feel the energy building up, when you feel the energy is at its peak, join your chis together in one hand, and fire your lightening. Remember, you do not control the lightening, you are simply its humble guide."_

Aang performed these steps with perfect accuracy, the lightening showing on the tips of his fingers, joining them together, Aang fired.

The explosion was enormous. The ceiling shook and Poppy was knocked off of her chair. All of the fighting had ceased, as the group watched in horror at what Aang had done, that is, until the smoke cleared. Lao sat on bare floor, his arms stretched out for support. His face sported a look of intense shock mixed with mortal terror. The wooden throne that Lao had been sitting on before was gone.

"Forget staying, guys," Toph said bitterly. "It was a terrible idea."

"I agree," added Zuko, patting Aang on the back for his handiwork.

"As much as I'd like things to work out here, I'd rather leave," Katara mused.

"Alright then, let's go," Aang finalized, suddenly wondering what had become of Sokka, Suki, and Mai.

When the group came out of the estate, they found Suki and Sokka kissing passionately in one corner of Appa's saddle, and Mai in the opposite corner, her eyes turned towards the sky in exasperation.

"Mai," Zuko mentioned, hoping to elicit a smile out of Mai's bleak expression. Mai simply glanced at him neutrally, a gesture that Zuko knew meant, "Good to see you."

Aang jumped on top of Appa's head, a little disappointed that they were leaving already. Katara sat in the saddle, trying to comfort Toph, who had insisted that she needed no comforting and was perfectly fine.

"I'm fine, Katara," Toph had said. "They didn't want me before and they don't want me now, so I don't want them either. Hey Twinkletoes! Let's get going! This place is getting old."

Appa threw himself in the air after a hesitant "yip-yip" from Aang. For the duration of the flight, the group remained quiet, respecting Toph's unspoken desire to reflect upon the day.

The group ate around the campfire silently later that night, having landed at around sunset, their previous plans to rest for a few days skewed, the planned their next stop for resupplying.

Upon completing their plans, Katara and Suki had finished making supper, which the group ate silently and awkwardly, despite a few conversational attempts from Sokka. Toph ate quickly, and when finished, left the group silently and erected her earth-tent.

Realizing that there was no point in trying to talk to her, the rest of the gang also prepared for the night. From a nearby stream, Katara pulled water, fashioning it into a hollow dome, clenching her hands, the dome froze, making an instant igloo. Aang simply laid out his bedding and slept with no tent, and Zuko, Suki, Mai and Sokka were left to set up normal tents.

Late in the night, as the moon rose to its zenith, Aang made his way across camp, hoping to make it to the igloo unnoticed. He surveyed what was to either side of him, as well as behind him, looking mostly for Sokka, to make sure he wasn't caught in the act of going to Katara's "tent." Aang bumped into a soft figure. Both of them gasped shortly, but covered their mouths.

Aang stared at his firebending teacher awkwardly, scratching the back of his head and thinking for a liable excuse. The two benders stared at each other for a few moments until Sokka bumped into Aang whilst tip-toeing, having forgotten to look in front of him just as Aang and Zuko had.

"So… Watcha guys up to?" Sokka asked suspiciously, his gaze set upon Aang. Aang looked to Zuko who said with a completely straight face,

"I'm going to Mai's tent." With that, he brushed past Aang and Sokka without another word.

Aang glanced at Sokka, chuckling awkwardly, "I guess I'll be on my way then." He turned to leave, but Sokka gripped his shoulder.

"I know where you were going," Sokka glared at him, poking his finger into Aang's chest. Aang gulped. "You continue to dissiapoint me, Aang. What to do with you?" He stroked his chin, suddenly wishing for his old fake beard.

"Well, you were on your way to visit Suki…" Aang pointed out pointedly.

"What does that have to do with an—," Sokka's face fell in realization. "You're on your way to visit Katara!" He announced, not so quietly.

"Wait… where did you think I was going?"

"To stop the Ea—To visit my sister obsiously…"

"Right, so if you'd let me get back to that…" Aang strode away as nonchalantly as he could, only to be stopped by Sokka's firm grip once again.

Suki then poked her head out of her tent. "Sokka?" she called, gaining the immediate attention of the boy. Who stared at her stunned and smitten, waving like a child. Suki, while Sokka was distracted mouthed the word, "go" to Aang, who slipped away into the igloo, shutting the entrance with a hunk of rock, and lighting the inside with a candle, lit with firebending…

**And there we have it, a little extra stuff on what would happen after the end of the canon series. I'm going to have to apologize right now: I'm not going to be writing another chapter. I was in an Avatar hangover at the moment, and well, I need to work on some other things. I might restart come summer time thought, so don't lose hope!**


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